I Will Always Find You

Chapter 8

Seattle

It was late when her flight got in from Boston. She wasn't able to get back to sleep on the plane so she was exhausted when she finally got to the hotel. Ordinarily she refused when bellhops offered to take her bags to the room, but Emma was too tired to even pull her suitcase and carry-on through the lobby. He led her to her suite and she tipped him after he opened the door.

The suite was an elegant one, one that she was sure Regina would appreciate. She hoped that after their reunion they could come back here and celebrate. She could never afford something like this on her own. That was one of the perks of being engaged to a queen, a credit card with no limit. Regina was savvy enough to bring all the treasure from her castle when the curse was cast. The woman was loaded. When Regina first told Emma how much money she had it nearly floored the former group home resident.

In the Enchanted Forest Regina had been born into wealth and had never wanted for anything. When she informed Emma about her bank balance she had said it in an offhand manner. The little girl who sometimes went to bed without having had anything to eat all day inside Emma could not understand Regina's nonchalance. In the past Emma used to dream about money and how happy she would be if she was rich. Then as she learned more about her lover's past she truly began to understand how happiness couldn't be bought. Regina had always been rich, but until Henry she had never been happy.

Emma made her happy too, the blonde thought with a smile. Emma remembered how sometimes she would be doing something like reading or just watching television and she would look up to see Regina staring at her and smiling. The happiness would be plainly visible on the mayor's face as she looked lovingly at Emma. Those smiles would be kept in Emma's heart forever. Whenever the sheriff got depressed she would open the vault of her heart and recall one of those smiles and feel whole and loved.

Like a zombie she stumbled to the huge bed and flopped down onto her back. God, it felt so good, like she was lying on a cloud. Her eyelids were heavy as a grin crept on her face. They were going to make use of this bed when they reunited. Emma knew she wouldn't even get to take of her jacket before sleep took her, but she didn't care. She just wanted to sleep and dream of her beautiful, smart, loving, and brave Regina.

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Emma looked around at the darkened landscape of stone formations and... mirrors?

"Damn it. I'm in that 'behind the mirror' world again."

Every kind of mirror could be seen, from intricately ornamented full length ones to small ones from makeup compacts. They were all darkened by swirling black clouds except for one that she could just make out ahead of her. It was about half a football field away and was on an elevated peak that she would have to climb.

"Well, I don't have anything better to do." she muttered as she walked toward it. There was a narrow valley with mirrors on both sides leading to her destination. She looked in some of the mirrors along the way just to make sure there was nothing to see inside them.

The mirror she was walking to was going to be different. She knew in her heart that the mirror was going to show her exactly what she was looking for. This mirror was going to let her see Regina.

Time seemed to pass quickly and slowly at the same time, there was no real feeling of the passage of time in this mirror world. Then she was climbing the rock formation, it seemed like she had just been walking a minute ago. She made it to the summit and faced the mirror.